


Deal

by onlyhereforellick



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, alt ep 17x14, fic request, the one where Xavier is actually enacting Chen’s revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23117380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: A small, soft smile stretched across her lips, one that was soon matched by Nick. “Deal.”
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	Deal

**Author's Note:**

> 55\. “What happened to you?”  
> 43\. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”  
> 78\. “Well, it didn’t seem important at the time.”  
> 12\. “Quit looking at me, you’re making me nervous.”  
> 75\. “What the hell were you thinking?” “In all honesty, I’m not really sure.”
> 
> for the anon on tumblr

The screech of rubber on asphalt would forever be imprinted on Ellie’s brain. She wasn’t sure how long she’d spent blacked out, but the second her clouded vision began to refocus, she ignored the sharp stabbing ache in her left side and scrambled off the ground.

She’d turned to shield herself from the blow- but did Nick?

Drawing in ragged short breaths through her teeth as she ground them together- forcing the pain in her side to escape her mind, Ellie stumbled hunched over to Nick’s heap of a body.

She opened her mouth to speak and never were words harder to form, a strangled, “Nick!” was all she could make out as she grabbed his shoulders and gently shook. Somehow she had the wherewithal to not really jostle his body in case he had a spinal injury— _turns out all those years of lifeguarding as a teen would actually help in life._

When his heavy eyelids started to blink open, Ellie breathed out a lengthy sigh of relief...and was met with another knife to her left side. Her hand involuntarily went up to clutch the vague area of pain as if a bit of pressure could calm the intensity building. _Nick, focus on Nick. He has to be okay._

Ellie a bit frantically- from the worry and the pain, tried to assess her best friend in front of her, “What happened to you? Are you hurt?” Her teeth snapping together at the effort it took to say those simple words.

Nick gingerly raised to a sitting position as he patted himself down, taking inventory of any possible injuries. His hand went to his temple as he replied, “Nothing major, I don’t think. A little throbbing- probably just a mild concussion though. You?” His eyes searched hers before roaming along her body. She caught the movement of his hand twitching like he’d considered patting her down too before catching himself.

The sigh of relief that came with hearing Nick was okay ended a little differently than she expected. The air cut off abruptly from her lungs as the pain morphed in her side akin to the twisting of a barbed arrow. Her vision dotted black- the last image she remembered of Nick’s features transformed to fear in a heartbeat as she collapsed to the ground.

* * *

A warm rhythmic touch on the back of her hand slowly stirred Ellie from a hazy mental state. She could feel the pad of a thumb rubbing circles on her cold, frail skin and without opening her eyes- she knew it was Nick.

Expanding her lungs with apprehension, wary of the pain that used to accompany it, Ellie popped open her eyes when all that joined her deep breath was a mild dull ache. Gone was the piercing pain of a thousand cuts in her side. Immediately her line of sight honed in on Nick leaning over in his chair by her bedside. An errant thought crossed the back of her mind- recognizing she was in a hospital. As her hand twitched to squeeze Nick’s, his eyes snapped to hers. She could see the red rim to them- he’d been crying, bags under his eyes from clear lack of sleep. Defeated worry laced his voice as he croaked out, “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

Ellie winced at the obvious pain he’d experienced because of her. Shamefully she answered, “I didn’t think it was important at the time.” She thought about tacking on her real reason, but couldn’t quite bring herself to admit it.

Nick just stared at her, an unreadable expression filling his eyes.

Ellie shifted as best she could in her reclined position on the bed before trying to deflect his unrelenting gaze, “Quit looking at me, you’re making me nervous.”

A look flashed across his face as he leaned forward, a furrow set to his brow, “I’m just trying to figure it out-“ her mouth gaped open to respond, but NIck continues before she could, “You broke multiple ribs, punctured your lung leading to an entire collapsed lobe...What the hell were you thinking?”

Ellie sensed the anger in his words, but she also heard the undercurrent of bone deep fear that joined the anger. Her rising bubble of defensiveness quickly popped, “In all honesty, I’m not really sure.” Ellie hung her head and hesitated for a brief moment before adding quietly, “I just knew I had to make sure you were okay.”

She wasn’t sure how that admission would be received, but the two small squeezes of her hand still in his made her look up cautiously.

His glassy eyes looked full of unshed tears threatening to overflow. His whispered words cutting right through her, “Please never scare me like that again, Ellie.”

A small, soft smile stretched across her lips, one that was soon matched by Nick. “Deal.”


End file.
